Pitching a TV show can be an intimidating process, but these creators have the added level of having to sell “funny.” What are the do's and don’ts of a comedy pitch? What’s the balance between humor and story? And what …

Shudder TV’s first original documentary feature, HORROR NOIRE: A HISTORY OF BLACK HORROR takes a critical look at a century of genre films that by turns utilized, caricatured, exploited, sidelined and embraced both …

Thank you for listening to Forever Dog podcasts this year and please enjoy this year-in-review clips show! Listen to find a new favorite podcast to subscribe to in 2019 or just a killer back catalog to binge during your …

Ben previews another episode of the forthcoming podcast COMIC BOOK COMMENTARY, an in-depth, page-by-page, behind-the-scenes journey through your favorite comics with the writers and artists themselves. Imagine a DVD …

Ben previews a new podcast coming your way in 2019, tentatively titled COMIC BOOK COMMENTARY, an in-depth, page-by-page, behind-the-scenes journey through your favorite comics with the writers and artists themselves. …

A panel from New York Comic Con 2018 with the storytellers behind the DC Vertigo comics relaunch. This next generation is taking the beloved imprint to new heights, with fantastical series from the new Sandman Universe …

A conversation with Ben Macintyre, the author of several amazing and unbelievable non-fiction accounts of WWII spycraft, including The Spy and the Traitor; Operation Mincemeat; andAgent Zigzag. (Starts at 14:40). Plus …

In honor of the relaunch of Neil Gaiman's groundbreaking SANDMAN series, Ben Blacker talks about the history of DC's Vertigo imprint, its influence on the rise of graphic novels, and gives a sneak peek at two of the new …

The creators of the brand new action comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me, Susanna Fogel (writer/director) and David Iserson (writer), join Ben to talk about the making of the film and why it often takes 10 years to become an …

As different directors tackle single episodes or an entire series, a strong relationship between directors and showrunners is crucial to maintaining a cohesive and dynamic vision of the storytelling. Join these …

As the TV landscape changes, each network grapples to find its own place on the spectrum. Kathleen McCaffrey (HBO), Grant Gish (Marvel), and Karey Burke (Freeform) discuss their respective programming ethos’ and how …

New writer Liz Hara returns! When last we left Liz, she'd moved to LA from New York to work on Life In Pieces. She's still on staff on the CBS sit-com and shares stories about growing more comfortable in the writers' …

Head writer Shelly Altman and co-head writer Chris Van Etten of the long-running (55 years and counting!) daytime soap opera are joined by GH super-fan Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (The Carmichael Show; LA>Vegas) to …

Show creator Jeremy Slater (The Umbrella Academy) and co-showrunner Sean Crouch (Numb3rs) discuss the Fox series' second season, horror on network TV, capturing the feel of both the original film and William Peter …

The writer/director of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and the forthcoming Wonder chats about the line between honesty and sentimentality, the similarities between novel writing and film directing, why and how he …

From Reddit threads and think pieces to live-tweeting and podcasts, the TV Theory business is booming. Yet, for a series with an ongoing mystery and unanswered questions, it can feel like the fandom is more interested …

A double feature with Everybody Loves Raymond creator and food-lover Phil Rosenthal. Breakfast with Phil has become an ATX Television Festival tradition. From last year's fest, Ben Blacker join Phil to talk breakfast …

Writer Liz Hara just completed her first week as a professional TV writer on a network show, Life In Pieces. In this first of what we hope will be many chats with Liz, she describes how she got the job, her previous …

The showrunners of ABC's terrific Downward Dog, John Hoberg & Kat Likkel, talk about being a married couple and writing partners, protecting and translating the show creators' vision, what they learned working on My …

Former WGA President Christopher Keyser (co-creator, Party of Five) is joined by guild members Marqui Jackson (Rosewood; Battle Creek) and Deirdre Mangan (iZombie) to talk about today's return to the negotiating table …

The creator of Prison Break and author of the new novel The Far Shore discusses prose writing, TV writing, compromising his vision, his Buddhism, and more. Recorded at Book Soup in Los Angeles on March 10, 2017.

John Wirth (V; Falling Skies), Krista Vernoff (Charmed; Wonderfalls), and Joanna Klein (SVP Scripted Development, The CW) discuss fantasy TV from building the look of a new world and the characters that inhabit it to …

Superior Donuts co-creator Bob Daily talks about finding new material with every show, from his earliest days on Frasier to Desperate Housewives, The Odd Couple, and more, what he's learned from rooms he's worked in, …

Take a break from reality with a double header from ATX, a Television Festival. First, Jennie Snyder Urman (creator, Jane the Virgin), Kevin Biegel (creator, Enlisted and Cougartown), Justin Adler (creator, Life in …

The It's Always Sunny in Philadephia writers and co-stars discuss their now-airing 12th season, changing the face of TV comedy, how their show is written, and more. Co-hosted by Sunny super-fan Jenny Klein …

The screenwriter of A Monster Calls, and the author of the novel on which it's based, talks about how anyone with a story can be a writer, adapting his novel, his process, his other books including the Chaos Walking …

The actor (Silicon Valley; Big Love) and writer/director of Captain Fantastic, one of the best movies of the year, chats about stepping behind the camera, writing for actors, the biographical aspects of Captain …

The screenwriter of Arrival talks about the decade-long process of bringing that story to the screen, “hard hat jobs” he's worked on including the remake/prequel of The Thing, his directorial debut, Hours, and more.

Blindspot creator Martin Gero chats about putting together the team, breaking story, how he uses the writers' room, his unusual hiring process, his late, beloved series LA Complex, procedurals, those tattoos, and more. …

The creators of the new MTV show Mary + Jane discuss writing what they care about, their partnership and process, their breakthrough feature that led to Can't Hardly Wait, what happened after Josie & the Pussycats, …

Javier Grillo-Marxuach (creator, The Middleman), Brian Michael Bendis (creator of Jessica Jones and Powers), and Rosemary Rodriguez (director, Jessica Jones) discuss how a storyteller infuses his or her own voice into …

After more than a decade of reporting crime from the streets of Baltimore, how did a career journalist like David Simon learn to navigate a TV writers’ room? The outcome was in no small part due to the indispensable …

The creator of Six Feet Under and True Blood discusses the creation of his seminal HBO series, exploring death, working with actors, swinging 180 degrees for his vampire soap opera, writing American Beauty in reaction …

WGA vice-president David Goodman (Family Guy) and David Slack (Person of Interest; Teen Titans Go!) take a good look at the Writers Guild and discuss why writers need a union, what the union does, what was gained by the …

The showrunner of Veep discusses taking over those duties in the just-aired season 5, early writing opportunities with Al Franken, his three years on Saturday Night Live, his time on Seinfeld, scripting Curb Your …

The showrunner of Cinemax's Outcast (based on the Robert Kirkman comics) talks about his start in syndicated shows like Weird Science, Cleopatra 2525, and Xena, his work on Star Trek: Enterprise, moving out of genre …

The creator of Rude Awakening, Accidentally on Purpose, and How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life) discusses starting out as a teen actor on Knots Landing, transitioning to stand-up comedy and then …

The writer-director-Christmas enthusiast, whose new film The Nice Guys opens May 20, discusses his interests and process, being called a hack, success and failure, and all of his films, including Lethal Weapon, The …

Daniel Levy, the co-creator of Schitt's Creek with his father Eugene Levy (Waiting for Guffman; SCTV), discusses being a first-time showrunner, creating a happy work environment, learning from his father, and more. …

Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World creator Michael Jacobs is joined by cast members Ben Savage, Rowan Blanchard, and Sabrina Carpenter for a look at tween series from 1990s and the 2010’s. Moderated by TV Guide's …

The writers of The People vs OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, as well as Ed Wood, The People Vs. Larry Flint, and more discuss how the ten-episode OJ story is different to writing a feature, its Dickensian appeal, …

Ever wonder how your favorite series was pitched in the room? Hear directly from showrunners/creators how they pitched their original series ideas, plus executives that have heard some of the most iconic pitches. They …

Traditional seasons are a thing of the past. With new content available to viewers at all times, and the distance between seasons being anywhere from 6 weeks to 22 months, there is a new reality that TV is a year-round …

The new showrunner of The Muppets discusses taking the reigns on that show, working with felt, jokes and heart, starting out as writers' assistant and her first job on That 70's Show, and her work on The Neighbors, …

Outsiders creator Peter Mattei discusses his new WGN America series, the ups-and-downs of writing for TV, his background as a playwright and visual artist, writing without a map, and more. Outsiders premieres on WGN …

Mark Flanagan is the custodian of the estate of Marty Feldman (Young Frankenstein; Silent Movie; more) and the driving force behind LA's Largo, the theater that's been home to musicians and comedians for nearly 20 …

Ben Blacker is joined by writer Andrew Reich (Friends) to discuss and sneak-preview Dead Pilots Society, a Writers Panel spin-off coming in 2016 in which pilots that were developed but not shot are given the table reads …

The creator and showrunner of the new Amazon series The Man in the High Castle, based upon the Phillip K. Dick novel, discusses his start on The X-Files and what he learned from working in the Chris Carter camp, putting …

Family Men: Masters of the Family Sitcom with Norman Lear (creator of All in The Family, The Jeffersons, Maude, One Day at a Time, Sanford and Son, Good Times, and MORE), Phil Rosenthal (creator of Everybody Loves …

Join us for a lively panel discussion with a very engaged audience on the ups and downs of careers in cartoons between voice actor Jason Spisak (Young Justice), producer/writer/director/artist Shannon Eric Denton …

The creator of Peaky Blinders, The Detectives, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and screenwriter of the upcoming Pawn Sacrifice and World War Z II, as well as Locke, Closed Circuit, Eastern Promises, Dirty Pretty …

Writer/creator Damon Lindelof, director/executive producer Mimi Leder, and co-stars Ann Dowd, Chris Eccleston, Carrie Coon discuss the first season of the HBO series and what's coming next. Recorded June 7, 2015 at ATX

Adaptions are hard enough — honoring an original vision, satisfying a fan base, and translating characters from one medium (written word or film) to another (episodic television). What if in addition to that, you also …

First, Bunheads creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and cast members Sutton Foster, Kelly Bishop, and Stacey Oristano discuss the dance sequences, turning points, and character moments that made this Cancelled-Too-Soon series …

The creator Gilmore Girls and Bunheads joins Entertainment Weekly's Danielle Nussbaum for an intimate conversation about the creation of her shows, writing strong characters and dialogue, and lots more.Recorded June 5, …

James L. Brooks is the writer/director of such seminal films as Terms of Endearment and Broadcast News. In TV, he started in series such as My Mother the Car, That Girl, and The Andy Griffith Show before creating or …

Neil Cross, the creator of Luther and Crossbones talks about his beginnings as a novelist, banging his head against the wall, working from Wellington, New Zealand (where this interview was recorded!), learning TV from …

Mickey Fisher (creator, Extant), Joshua Applebaum (co-creator, Zoo), and Adam Stein (Under the Dome) discuss their CBS summer event series, how they started in the business, and lots more. Under the Dome's third season …

What makes an audience valuable? Can a loyal, passionate fan base whose voice is ten times louder than a casual viewer make an impact? That and more are discussed by Phil Rosenthal (creator, Everybody Loves Raymond), …

Brannon Braga, the co-creator of WGN America's Salem discusses his 15 years in the Star Trek franchise, starting as an intern on The Next Generation, running Voyager, and creating Enterprise, as well as talking candidly …

Matt Nix, the creator of USA's upcoming Complications and Burn Notice returns to talk about his new medical thriller, telling a personal story, changing viewer habits, caring about stories, and making soup. …

Showrunner Chad Hodge (creator of The Playboy Club, Runaway, and All About Us) talks about writing scripts you're passionate about, getting his unexpected break, early success in the Peter Engels (Saved by the Bell) …

Diane Ruggiero co-created iZombie and became showrunner Rob Thomas's right hand on Veronica Mars. Here, we dig deep with Diane to talk about how she was always a writer, how she went from waitressing to selling her …

The Comedians co-creator and showrunner talks about his new FX show, working with a comedy legend, who steers the ship on an auteur-driven show, his time on season 4 of Community, season 4 of Arrested Development, and …

Peter Horton, the actor (thirtysomething), director (Grey's Anatomy; Dirty Sexy Money), and writer discusses the new show he co-created, American Odyssey, as well as storytelling in its different modes, working on and …

David Greenwalt (Buffy seasons 1-3; co-creator of Angel; later work includes co-creating Grimm), Marti Noxon (Buffy seasons 2-7; Angel; later work includes co-creating Un-Real and developing Girlfriends' Guide to …

Jonathan Tropper, the co-creator of Banshee and author of six novels including Plan B and This Is Where I Leave You discusses discovering plot in the process of writing, his interests as a writer, developing Banshee and …

Executive producer Matt Thompson and co-producer Casey Willis, both of whom have been with show creator Adam Reed since Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo, discuss how Archer is written and produced, the increasing quality of …

The showrunner of Fox's hit Empire and the creator of Showtime's The L Word, Ilene Chaiken talks about the similarities between these shows, her years as a development executive for Aaron Spelling, how the Empire room …

CBS's Bryan Seabury, Sony's Chris Parnell, and Caitlin Foito of ABC Studios take you inside the TV pitching and selling process from another perspective. Their candid conversation covers how decisions are made, what …

Co-creator/showrunner Bob Fisher (Traffic Light) and actor Kevin Bigley of the USA half-hour program Sirens chat about how the show is made, shooting in Chicago, comedy they love, and lots more. Season 2 of Sirens …

Nell Scovell, creator of the Sabrina, the Teenage Witch series, has been in the business for thirty years and has worked with such luminaries as David Letterman, the Smothers Brothers, and more. She's been on the staff …

Actor and comedian Patton Oswalt's new book, Silver Screen Fiend, is out now. In this chat with author, humorist, and actor John Hodgman, Patton talks about how the book came to be, his love of movies, comedy, and lots …

The creator of Hart of Dixie, which begins its fourth season this Friday (January 9), talks about creating the show, being a first-time showrunner, working with the CW, creating the show as a response to her time on …

Since starting out as an assistant on Freaks and Geeks and her first staff writer job on Undeclared, Jenni Konner has gone on to write and produce shows for network television and cable. She's now the co-showrunner of …

Ben Queen (creator, A to Z), Kim Shumway (The 100; Dallas), Deirdre Mangan (I, Zombie). Getting back to our “panel” roots by throwing together three writers from different backgrounds and experiences to talk about the …

The creator of CBS's hit Scorpion and the beloved Prison Break talks about his work habits, blending drama and comedy, transitioning from law to screenwriting, what he looks for in putting together a room, and more.

Erica Messer has been with Criminal Minds from its first day and has been promoted through the ranks to showrunner of the long-running CBS series. She talks about the big changes the show has made over the years, where …

Producer Ryan Patrick McGuffey, director Des Doyle, and author Tara Bennett (who wrote the official companion to the film, Showrunners: The Art of Running a TV Show) discuss showrunning and showrunners, what sort of a …

The creator of Broadchurch and its American remake, Fox's Gracepoint, as well as Born and Bred, discusses writing personal stories, show-running Torchwood and Law & Order: UK, writing for Doctor Who and Life on …

The creator of WGN's terrific series Manhattan talks about his inspiration for the show, relationships with writers, balancing his characters' stories with historical fact, what he learned from working on Masters of …

The writer of the lauded horror film You're Next as well as the upcoming The Guest talks about writing for himself and his creative partner Adam Wingard as well as for an audience, walks us through his late nights of …

Kyle Killen (Awake; Lone Star) knows more about ratings than he cares to, and he's going to break it down for you starting with who, what, when, where, or IF watching matters. Dissecting Neilsen, DVRs, live viewing, …

Creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino talk about bringing their adventure/action/comedy/coming-of-age animated series to the screen, finding a new process for producing animated television, their …

Thomas Lennon (co-creator, Reno 911; Night at the Museum; @midnight) and Neal Baer (showrunner, Under the Dome; ER; Law & Order: SVU). Recorded live at the Nerdist space at Petco Park during San Diego ComicCon, on …

From this year's ATX Television Festival, an intimate discussion of his influences and TV inspirations, his mentors, tales on how he got his start, and his personal and professional highs and lows. Joined by Hitfix's …

We last spoke with Wired editor Adam Rogers way back in episode 24 and discussed the book he had just begun. Now that book is here! Proof: The Science of Booze is a fascinating and immensely enjoyable survey of how your …

Graeme Manson and John Fawcett, creators of Orphan Black, talk about the long gestation period of their clone saga, how the show works, what each of them brings to the project, what happens in the room, and lots more. …

Noah Hawley (creator of My Generation and The Unusuals) talks about adapting the Coen Brothers' movie for the ten-episode FX series, the atypical writing and production process for the show, and what may come next. …

Will Eubank has worked as a cinematographer for years in the film industry, and now his second feature as writer/director, The Signal, is being released by Focus Features. Will talks about how he got where he is, …

This is not the name of a terrible TV procedural, but rather the topic of discussion with lawyer Larry Zerner and lawer-turned-TV-writer David Hudgins (Friday Night Lights). What do writers, especially beginning …

Second City luminary Craig Cackowski (Community; Veep), and Second City alumni Mark Gagliardi and Hal Lublin (Thrilling Adventure Hour) discuss improvisation techniques and uses for aspiring actors at a panel at …

Scriptnotes hosts John August (Big Fish; Frankenweenie; Go) and Craig Mazin (The Hangover 2; Identity Thief) join NWP's Ben Blacker to talk about what Craig and John are working on, their writing habits, take questions …

UCB co-founder Matt Walsh (actor, Veep, Dog Bites Man) talks about his present project as writer/director, A Better You, which is currently running an IndieGoGo campaign to pay for post-production. Matt chats about …

Andy Daly, writer/actor Andy Blitz, and writer/director Jeffrey Blitz discuss their terrific new Comedy Central show Review. How the show was made, Andy's character “Forrest McNeil,” how episodes are broken, and the arc …

Former LA Weekly and Village Voice film critic Karina Longworth (Masters of Cinema: George Lucas) discusses her new book, Meryl Streep: Anatomy of an Actor, authorial voice in criticism, and what makes movies good.

Featuring Tom Verica (Scandal), Dave Semel (American Horror Story), and Rob Schrab (Childrens Hospital). A look at directors of episodic television. They say that TV is a writer’s medium…as opposed to film that is a …

Ashley Miller (Thor; X-Men: First Class), Kelly Marcel (Saving Mr. Banks; 50 Shades of Gray); and Kell Cahoon (Psych; Just Shoot Me; NewsRadio). Recorded live at the Austin Film Festival on October 24, 2013.

“Actors Roundtable” from ATX Television Festival: Some of today’s leading episodic actors talk about the ups and downs of their TV careers. With Joshua Malina (Scandal), Lucas Neff (Raising Hope), Scott Porter (Friday …

Michael Jacobs' first foray into TV was a home run with creation of the iconic '80s series Charles in Charge, and he didn't stop there, as he went on to create some of the most recognizable series in the 1980s and …

BONUS EPISODE: Enlisted panel from ATX Television Festival. All about the new Fox army sibling comedy, with its creator Kevin Biegel (co-creator, Cougar Town), executive producer Mike Royce (Men of a Certain Age), and …

A chat with the writers/creators of the awesome and hilarious new Yahoo series, Amanda Lund, Maria Blasucci, and Jeremy Konner (Drunk History). The 12-episode paranormal procedural was directed by Konner and co-produced …

Graham Yost, creator and showrunner of Justified.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of television's most interesting and …

Howard Gordon, co-creator of Homeland, executive producer of three 2013 pilots.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of …

BONUS EPISODE with Ian Roberts and Jay Martel, showrunners of Key & Peele.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of television's …

Vince Gilligan, creator and showrunner of Breaking Bad.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of television's most interesting and …

BONUS EPISODE with Callie Khouri, creator of Nashville.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of television's most interesting and …

An in-depth chat with Jason Fuchs about the work he did on the ABC/Disney pilot Big Thunder, the animated feature Ice Age: Continental Drift, being a child actor, and lots more. (Note: this interview was recorded before …

Liz Meriweather, Brett Baer and Dave Finkel, creator and showrunners of the New Girl.As part of Fast Company magazine's “Most Creative People” issue, Ben Blacker interviewed the showrunners and creators of some of …

A chat with author Bob Harris (Prisoner of Trebekistan) about his new book on micro-loans The International Bank of Bob. We talk about doing good to feel good, emotional writing, the business of books, advice from Joss …

An in-depth interview with Joe Port and Joe Wiseman (Dilbert; Son of the Beach; Just Shoot Me) about their new, autobiographical pilot Joe and Joe and Jane, their writing partnership, what's funny, and lots more.

An in-depth chat with The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman (Invincible; Super Dinosaur; Thief of Thieves) about the formation of his Skybound imprint at Image Comics, his process for breaking story, choices he's made …

American Horror Story: Asylum in review! Executive producer Tim Minear and co-exec producers Jennifer Salt, and Jessica Sharzer on the incredible second season of the FX horror-drama-comedy-musical (“The Name Game?”), …

An in-depth chat with the creators of Ben 10 and Generator Rex and the developers of Ultimate Spider-Man and the upcoming Avengers Assemble cartoons. Also accomplished comic book writers and artists, Man of Action is …

Mad Men season five in review! Creator/showrunner Matthew Weiner, showrunners Andre and Maria Jacquemetton, and writer Erin Levy give their take on the AMC series' fifth season, choices they made about the characters, …

An in-depth chat Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder, co-creators of Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. We talk about that watershed show for Comedy Central, as well as the Snyder-produced Home Movies, “Squiggle-vision,” Katz's …

An in depth chat with Andrew Bujalski, writer-director of such films as Funny Ha-Ha (forerunner of the so-called “mumblecore” movement), Mutual Appreciation, Beeswax, and the upcoming Computer Chess. Recorded June 7, …

An in depth chat with Justified creator Graham Yost about his journey through Speed, From the Earth to the Moon, Band of Brothers, The Pacific, and Boomtown, and translating Elmore Leonard's worldview to the small …

An enlightening chat with Adam Rogers, a senior editor at Wired magazine. Ben Acker sits in too, as we discuss magazine writing and editing and how it differs from television production, the state and future of both …